Business
-
May 29, 2025
Court dismisses action for no genuine issues related to joint venture
The British Columbia Supreme Court has dismissed a lawsuit involving alleged breaches of a joint venture agreement, ruling that there were no genuine issues requiring a trial.
-
May 29, 2025
B.C. Court of Appeal decision offers clarity on assessing injunctions in nuisance cases
In a nuisance complaint over a village gas station in British Columbia’s West Kootenays, the B.C. Court of Appeal has ruled that a trial judge erred by failing to properly consider a permanent injunction — but upheld her decision to grant only damages due to mitigating factors.
-
May 29, 2025
Canada updates accessibility standards, mandates support systems in federally regulated workplaces
Accessibility Standards Canada has published a revised employment standard applicable to federally regulated organizations that includes a requirement that these organizations develop and maintain an accessibility support system.
-
May 29, 2025
B.C. court: ITA no bar to refund of tax overpayments per court-ordered priorities
The British Columbia Court of Appeal has held that tax overpayments from a foreclosure sale remain subject to the priorities in the sale order, rejecting the CRA’s argument that such funds can only be refunded to the taxpayer.
-
May 29, 2025
Is it a rabbit or a duck? Why lawyers must be storytellers
Every lawyer has been there. We have laid out the facts. We have cited the law. We have prepared what we believe is a clear and persuasive argument. And yet the court saw something else — something that seems, at first glance, unrecognizable.
-
May 29, 2025
Ontario announces $500-million fund to expand domestic critical mineral processing
The Ontario government has announced it is spending $500 million to create a critical minerals processing fund.
-
May 29, 2025
Appellate decision lays foundation for civil liability of regulators who trample privilege
The British Columbia Court of Appeal’s recent decision, Lamarche v. British Columbia (Securities Commission), 2025 BCCA 146 (Lamarche), confirms that a regulator may face civil liability if it does not appropriately protect privilege during an investigation. The decision focuses on the tort for intentional breach of privacy under the British Columbia Privacy Act, but it has wider implications given similar statutory privacy torts in other provinces and similarities to the common law privacy tort.
-
May 28, 2025
Common pitfalls in tribunal adjudication of mental health matters, part two: Potential solutions
In part one of this series, I highlighted due process and natural justice or fairness concerns identified by reviewing courts in two mental health tribunal proceedings. In a span of less than four weeks recently, decisions of Ontario’s civil mental health adjudicator, the Consent and Capacity Board, and the Criminal Code-based forensic psychiatric administrative tribunal, the Ontario Review Board, were overturned and returned to them for re-hearing in Hastick v. Banik, 2025 ONSC 3007 and Clayton (Re), respectively.
-
May 28, 2025
Ontario reintroduces Act to attract surveyors, enable carbon storage and tackle wildfires
The Ontario government has re-introduced the Resource Management and Safety Act, aimed at enabling and regulating the use of carbon storage technology, as well as attracting more land surveyors to support Ontario’s plan to build more homes and other infrastructure.
-
May 28, 2025
B.C. to increase minimum wage on June 1
The B.C. government is reminding workers and employers that the province’s general minimum wage is set to increase from $17.40 to $17.85 an hour as of June 1.